Can anyone explain the Chagos Islands deal?

[itsnothere]

Sounds absolutely bonkers! How does Britain benefit from this deal?

Why should returning an island that britain should never had control of, benefit britain?

Returning it?

It isn't about benefitting Britain, it is about complying with international law that doesn't agree with colonisation.

Nato (America) are retaining a military presence there only now the UK doesn't have to spend money and resources occupying / operating / administering it. Sounds like a win to me. Unless the UK are planning on going to war with China single handed anytime soon those will make no difference to our security.
Most people couldn't point to the Chagos Islands on a map.

The United Kingdom, at the request of the United States, began expelling the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago in 1968, concluding its forced deportations on 27 April 1973 with the expulsion of the remaining Chagossians on the Peros Banhos atoll.

It doesn't benefit Britain, it provides some justice and reparation for the crimes it committed.

I felt the same when we had to return India . So unfair.

Unfortunately the nations who will benefit from The West not having a foothold in the Indian Ocean tend not to worry about international law.

I think it's a mistake right now.

"We were the bad guys, but because we think we're the good guys, it shouldn't count if we keep acting like bad guys. Because, after all, we're the good guys."

It doesn't, the British Government took control of islands which it didn't own. Forcibly removed the inhabitants, rounded up their pets and animals and shot them as a form of intimidation, then literally abandoned those people on the dockside in Mauritius. They became known as "island people" and were shunned by Mauritians, treated like dirt. They ended up as the lowest class of people, living in Government subsidised housing or literal tin shacks. They couldnt get jobs or education. They had the only home they knew taken from them by the British Government. They were referred to in official communications as "Tarzans and Man Friday's".

The Chagos Islands never Belonged to Britian, and to be fair, never belonged to Mauritius either. The only reason Mauritius is involved is because a large number of Chagossians still live there and have no form of official representation. So the Mauritian Government is their voice. The Chagossians will undoubtedly get screwed over again by Mauritius and will never receive a single Roupee in compensation or ever be allowed to return to their home.

It's a terrible deal for everyone involved, except Mauritius, which will have it's budget defecit paid off, be given virgin islands to develop, probably with Chinese money. And they will pocket 100 million pounds a year for the next century.

The Chagos Islanders aren't party to the current deal and many of them object to it.

I had the same argument about a car! The what's in it for me if I give it back argument was not met with sympathy.

I can understand the problems with giving it to Mauritias not the Chagossians directly. I assumed that was the only way to make it even a tiny bit palatable to people worried about the geopolitics - since a super tiny new country is likely to get swallowed up straight away and probably would struggle to support themselves independently anyway. At least I guess that's the logic... But they do seem to have messed up doing it, even though it is the right thing to do (ceding control).

The West (at least America) will continue to have a foothold since they will continue to be at Diego Garcia where they have their strategically important military base. That was factored into the current plan and TBF I can't imagine they would ever give it up anyway. The UK don't have a military base there at all currently. So no footholds lost.

If the US was so concerned about losing control of it and we were so desperate to give away our territory, sorry, pay people to take it, we should have given it to them, not Mauritius which is nowhere near these islands and has ZERO historical claim to them aside from when Britain administered them. I can't believe there are people still repeating the complete lie that we are "giving them back".

I think there is not nearly enough scrutiny on Starmer's relationship with Philippe Sands who advised the Mauritian government. Between this and the Tulip Siddiq affair I don't know where to look, it's just out and out corruption.

Looks like it’s been delayed until Trump us in

Presumably not wanting anything to be ripped up and they want approval

Thankfully!!!

Whoever thought it'd be Trump who brought the ME to the negotiating table, made the west step up to its defence responsibilities, and now is question handing over an atoll of immense strategic importance to a potentially dodgy China-influenced nation which has no real claim to it, either.

Ah yes, because its around the corner from the US and the US has a high Chagossian population.

I'd rather we just kept it, but at least giving it to the US has potential value to us in terms of keeping on good terms with a massive military and economic ally.

Disingenuous to pretend that the Chagossians will have anything to do with what happens to it, though.

That was probably a bit strong on my part, but I mean: we can have as much sympathy for individual people affected by the decision as we like, but ultimately the decision is not going to be made on the basis of what their theoretical rights under international law are, if strategic and military interests are in play.

There is no binding court decision that says we have to hand it over. So I don't see why we should bother particularly as Mauritius thinks we are a cash cow. Itis not part of that country either and now the illegal immigrants in the camp there are now in the UK (all but the 3 of them who are criminals) and the original residents in the UK or Mauritius we should just say no deal - we are keeping it.

It's somehow back on, I see?!

There are different reports that it is going to cost us between 9 billion and 16 billion for UK taxpayers, the Government will not release the final amount.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyk05lgyevo

It seems to be the brainchild of Philippe Sands KC who has acted as a paid advisor for Mauritius and is Starmer's friend. Mauritius has strong links to China and this event was reported by China Daily :

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If you’re following the twists and turns of Labour’s disastrous Chagos deal, you’re going to need to sit down for this one. Guido can reveal that in 2022 Starmer’s close friend and confidant Philippe Sands KC – who has acted as a paid legal adviser for Mauritius – entered British Indian Ocean Territory without UK permission and participated in the hoisting of the Mauritius flag over UK territory.

https://order-order.com/2025/02/07/starmers-close-friend-entered-chagos-without-permission-and-raised-mauritius-flag-over-british-territory/

It all absolutely stinks and shows yet again this government’s total inability to understand the mood of the nation.

I’d like to know how far back we are going with demands for apologies and recompense for historical colonisation situations? Is it just the UK that has to stump up? Only British colonisation was a problem?

People who sanctimoniously assert that all land should be returned, all wrongs “righted” should have to personally contribute first. Not sure how, perhaps financially in the first instance? Strenuous “volunteer” work of some kind?

China and Russia don’t give a flying f*ck about historical injustices, their own or anyone else’s but they sure do like taking advantage of the suicidal empathy that weakens Western nations and hands authority and geopolitical dominance to them on a golden platter. How do people not see this? It’s so unbelievably stupid.

The mood of the nation has nothing to do with the wrongs that were done to the Chagossian people.

Do you know what happened, what was done to them?